The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-09-24

L. cor. XIII. III.
We live in an age in which the new is
constantly taking the place of the old.
Those implements, appliances and in
situations, which served the purpose of
men only sin part" are constantly
staking to themselves crutches and
hobbling off into oblivion;" while that
which is more perfect" comes boldly
marching to the front. This universal
law, by reason of which the perfect
takes the place of the imperfect, per-
vades the economy of Divine things;
and has suggested whatever there is of
that which forms the subject upon
which 1 am suggested to speak, viz:
''The New Orthodoxy" 1t is theme
more fitting to be the title of book
than the subject of brief discourse.
Its discussion involves an inquiry into
several serious questions: What is
meant by Orthodoxy? What was old
Orthodoxy? Has there come new
Orthodoxy so perfect as to displace the
old? If it has not already come, is it
coming? What are che forces bring
ing it, and in what form doth it appear
What does it suggest to the Universal
list church as a religious body?
Orthodoxy does not mean the sound
ness of faith of the individual, but the
philosophy of the creeds as agreed upon
and established by church authorities
in their organized capacity. Any mere
sentiment, however good, or general,
until agreed upon and adopted as an
authorized creed is not Orthodoxy,
either old or new.
All churches agree that truth is bet
ter than error; that there is such thing
as soundness of faith, and that there is
such thing as heresy; but as to what
constitutes the heresy on the one hand
or the soundness of faith on the other,
we differ; and so long as our powers for
discerning truth differ, the man of the
world will observe that what is one
echurch's Orthodoxy is another
church's heresy. 1t is evident from
these facts that Orthodoxy cannot be
defined, except from the standpoint of
some church authority. If there was
no church organization there would be
no Orthodoxy; but church organization
is the very basis of church life, and is
necessarily predicated upon some unity
of faith concerning the fundamental
principles of religion. This unity of
faith is always the orthodoxy of the
churches which unite in accepting it.
During the dark ages the priest decided
what men should believe and this belief
was orthodoxy because the priest had
authority to speak for the church. After
the Reformation opened the Bible to all
people, Synods, Presbyteries. Confer
ences and Conventions decided what
was truth and adopted articles of faith.
In religion, as in matters of govern
ment, there is an innate idea that the
majority ought to rule. A majority of
the Protestant churches, found that
they could agree upon certain funda-
mental dogmas of religious faith that
were deemed essential, and they assum-
ed to themselves the general name Or
thodoxy and denied it to all others; and
hence, we have the term orthodoxy as
used in the subject under discussion.
Old Orthodoxy
was the philosophy of dominant creeds
wherein those creeds agreed. From the
time Protestant church organizations
began to multiply and assume denomi-
national names, until within the last
half of a century, certain doctrines were
placed in all generally accepted creeds
which characterized them as orthodox.
These doctrines were 1.-THE Trinity"
1.-THE Fall of Man." 1.-THE Vicarious
Atonement," and Future Rewards
and Punishment" These doctrines
had a we'll determined meaning, as
agreed upon and settled by the domi-
nant churches in their organized capac-
ity. They constituted the basis of a
system denominated orthodoxy, and so
stood for centuries, as its motive power
and bond of union. The doctrine of
The Trinity was the orthodox con-
ception of Deity. 1t was explained to
mean that there were three divine per-
sons in the "Godhead," each of whom
was the very God himself, and it re-
quired all three of them to make God
of any kind. The doctrine of 1.-THE
Fall of Man," signified that Adam be-
fore he knew good from evil, committed
a sin which justly condemned him and
all of his posterity to the death of the
body in this life, and the amending mis-
cry of the soul in the life to come, and
that each soul, by inheritance, begins
this life loaded with this enormous
guilt. This was the orthodox idea of
man. 1.-THE Vicarious Atonement s"
meant, that one of 1.-THE Trinity"
called Christ, suffered death for, and in
stead of, guilty sinners, in order to APP
pease the wrath of another one of "The
Trinity" called God; and that the
highest duty of man was to believe in
and accept the provisions of this atone
ment, and thereby escape punishment
for sin, and gain heaven. This was